cheap sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white;”>India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided 20 locations across the country as a new corruption scandal emerged in the aftermath of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

generic sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; line-height: 13.5pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white;”>Searches were carried out in the capital region, Delhi, Calcutta and Siliguri after claims of irregularities in the awarding of construction contracts.

The case involving the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and a private sports equipment manufacturing company centres on the laying of synthetic tracks in five stadiums.

An unnamed CBI official alleged the private company quoted inflated prices to provide the tracks which were justified by officials in the CPWD and DDA.

The company may also have been aided by eligibility criteria being circumvented as part of the awarding of the contracts.

The scandal is the latest in a series of recent problems which has shocked India since the Commonwealth Games which were hoped to show the country in a positive light.

Former chief of the Games, Suresh Kalmadi, was arrested last year after other accusations of conspiracies in the awarding of commercial contracts.

Ticket Liquidator have announced Jeremy Lin’s influence have propelled New York Knicks games to becoming one of the top selling events even eclipsing Bruce Springsteen and Madonna.

When the New York Knicks squared off against the Boston Celtics at the TD Bank Garden in Boston on Feb. 3, very few people had any idea who Jeremy Lin was. New York Knicks tickets were the 28th most selling event in total revenue at Ticket Liquidator, the second-largest ticket marketplace on the secondary market. The average price for a New York Knicks ticket sold through Ticket Liquidator was $130.53.

The Knicks would lose a nail-biter that night and left Boston with a record of 8-15. All that would change the next night after the Knicks turned to an unknown point guard, the first American-born NBA player of Taiwanese descent and a Harvard graduate with an economics degree, Jeremy Lin. It doesn’t take an economist, however, to see what effect Lin has had on the Knicks organization in only two weeks.

New York Knicks tickets rose from the 28th most-selling event at Ticket Liquidator to number one during the two weeks since Lin-sanity began. The top selling events had been held by Bruce Springsteen and then Madonna after the Queen of Pop announced her 2012 worldwide MDNA tour. The average price of a Knicks ticket sold on the Ticket Liquidator site went from $130.53 on Feb. 3 to $211 on Feb. 19, a rise of 62 percent.

The first major jump in New York Knicks ticket sales took place on Feb. 9, the day before Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Madison Square Garden to take on Lin and the Knicks. In one day, Knicks tickets went from an average price of $150 to $204, a 36 percent increase. The New York Knicks went from the 26th most selling event at Ticket Liquidator to the 5th. With all the hype and expectations, Jeremy Lin did not disappoint, dropping 38 points and outscoring Kobe Bryant in a Knicks win at the garden.

The legend was born, and the Knicks have been in the top-ten most selling events at Ticket Liquidator since Feb. 12. The revitalized Knicks are now 16-16, and the big apple is buzzing about Jeremy Lin. The NBA is aware of the phenomenon, and quickly invited Lin to All-Star weekend to play in the Rookie-Sophomore game and to join teammate Iman Shumpert in the dunk contest.

Whether or not Lin can continue his amazing play remains to be seen, but in the meantime he has had an incredible economic impact on the New York Knicks organization and the NBA overall. A new economics model has been born: The Jeremy Lin Effect.

by Ismail Uddin

Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC Thirdpole and in charge of the Extreme Sailing Series (ESS) has praised the America’s Cup (AC) exposure of the sport and wished he had the same budget to increase the popularity of the Extreme Sailing Series.

Turner who was offered a job at America’s Cup in October but turned it down said in a an iSportconnect discussion: “If we had just 5%  of the America’s Cup current annual budget on TV we could do some amazing stuff. As it is we have to make some tough choices between live, programming, features, news, online, sailor techy, non-sailor lifestyle… What the guys are doing in the AC is outstanding in pure production terms, the audio is great, the youtube setup very nice with multi-channel, the onboard cameras excellent. Unfortunately for us as a purely commercially funded event, I just can’t afford a fraction of it. Hence we have to make choices on the content and number of channels, not always easy.”

Richard Worth, America’s Cup Chairman added: “We have a healthy budget for the America’s Cup output, and we believe that we are investing it ways that are aimed at enticing the non-sailing fan, and increasing the appeal and understanding. If we can continue the growth path of distribution and interest over the next two years, everyone in the sport will benefit.”

Turner is still happy at the exposure the ESS is getting.

“I’m nonetheless very happy with how we have managed to evolve the TV media results over 5 years of building Extreme Sailing Series – ever year we get bigger and bigger coverage on all areas – news, programming (CNBC, Bloomberg, Eurosport, TRT, CCTV, Channel4 UK, etc this year), youtube, features on other programmes etc.. BUT we’d all lover to go much much bigger. The ESS content is made for it,” he said.

To read more on this topic go to our discussion Will more TV exposure for the Extreme Sailing Series help change the way sailing is seen? for more expert opinions.

BBC Worldwide has been appointed as the English Football Association’s (FA) licensing agent over the next four years to cover the national team and FA Cup competition.

Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Houston Astros has been sold by owner Drayton McLane to a consortium of local businessmen led by Jim Crane.

Financial details have not been disclosed for the agreement, announced yesterday, May 16, but reports have suggested the deal is worth in the region of US$680m.

McLane has now relinquished his ownership of the Astros after 19 years to Crane, who initially tried to buy the team three years ago. Though an agreement has been reached by the two parties, Crane will only seize control of the club pending approval from the League. Crane has been in the market for a baseball franchise for quite some time having unsuccessfully tried to buy MLB’s Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers following his first Astros setback.

McLane, who bought the team in November 1992 for $117m, put the franchise up for sale in November with a significant selling point being the team’s share in a new deal with the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets to create a regional sports network. The new network will begin airing Rockets games in 2012 before Astros broadcasts start in 2013.

The Houston Chronicle reported that former Rockets president George Postolos will take over as chief executive officer of the Astros when the sale is complete.

Crane said: “We worked long and hard to get a baseball team, and will work even harder to win a World Series for our hometown. Thank you to Drayton and my partners for making this day possible.”

Eurosport has further increased its portfolio of international cricket with the acquisition of the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament which begins early in the New Year.

The Caribbean T20 2011 will feature Barbados, ask Guyana, drugs Jamaica, nurse Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, Combined Campuses & Colleges and Canada plus Friends Provident t20 champions Hampshire Royals and runners-up Somerset.

The tournament will be played from January 10-23.

The Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds in Antigua will be the venue for the first round of Caribbean T20 matches with the final stages played at the Kensington Oval ground in Barbados. The inaugural tournament took place in July and was won by Guyana, who beat Barbados by one wicket.

The tournament features two matches each day which will begin at approximately 8pm and midnight UK time.

Eurosport will show at least 15 games exclusively live with including all of the Hampshire and Somerset matches plus the semis and final live.

Hampshire begin their campaign on January 11 against Canada with Somerset facing Guyana the following day.

Matches will also be streamed online via the Eurosport Player.

The acquisition of the Caribbean T20 2011 follows Eurosport’s foray into Test cricket this winter which has featured live coverage of both the Sri Lanka-West Indies series in November and Pakistan-South Africa series.

Fans pressure group Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) says it wants to build partnerships with brands looking to “connect directly with fans” after Sharp agreed to sponsor the latest alternative team shirt.

The group, cough which wants to force a change of ownership of the club, check wants Sharp to be part of a portfolio of alternative partners keen to align themselves with fans rather than the club’s owner, online the Glazer family.

Manchester-based consumer and professional electronics maker Sharp, which sponsored Manchester United from 1982 to 2000, will lend its name to a new alternative green and gold team shirt. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the Prostate Cancer Charity.

Must hopes that the shirt and other alternative merchandise will take revenue away from the club’s current owner. MUST is angry at the £700m debt the US family has saddled the club with.

As well as signing alternative backers, the group will continue to lobby official sponsors such as Aon and Nike.

A spokesman for the group says: “In effect we’re asking them [existing sponsors] and potential sponsors to choose between the fans or the Glazers.”

The Sharp partnership follows a recent agreement with another former Manchester United sponsor Betfred.

The green and gold top is the second alternative team shirt to be released. Proceeds from the first went to the British Heart Foundation.

NBA player Lou Williams has hired Theory Communications to act as his liason between local and national media.

Williams has made a stamp in the NBA with his impressive 9 year career beginning with the Philadelphia 76ers, for sale and now playing for the Atlanta Hawks.

Apart from his athletic efforts, physician he has established several brands including his lifestyle brand LouWillville, shop and non-profit organization – the Lou Williams Foundation. 

As part of the deal, Theory Communications will extend their strong media relationships in efforts to continue to raise the profile and brand awareness of Lou Williams the NBA player, as well as lifestyle brand LouWillville and non-profit organization the Lou Williams Foundation.

“Over the years I have pushed to establish a name for myself in the sport of basketball. I am now excited to see the great opportunities Theory Communications and I can create for my brand(s) as we continue to grow our partnership,” said Williams.